MANAGING PARTNERKolade Sofola
Kolade Sofola is the Managing Partner at Kayode Sofola and Associates (KS Legal), where he brings decades of high-level legal, policy, and infrastructure advisory experience in leading the firm’s strategic direction and client service delivery.
His distinguished career spans both private legal practice and top-tier government advisory roles, marked by a consistent focus on areas including but not limited to, infrastructure law, public-private partnerships (PPP), project finance, and regulatory reform.
Mr. Kolade earned his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of Nottingham and holds a Master of Laws (LLM) from Cardiff University, specializing in Competition Law, Intellectual Property Law, and International Sale of Goods Law.
He was the lead local counsel to the Federal Government of Nigeria in the establishment of its sovereign wealth fund and played a pivotal role in drafting the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority Act, the foundational legislation for Nigeria’s sovereign wealth fund.
Education
Previously, he served as a Program Project Management Consultant at the UK-Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (UKNIAF), a £72.8 million FCDO-funded technical assistance programme. In this role, he managed the Federal Government’s infrastructure finance portfolio, coordinating project preparation, appraisal, and delivery of a pipeline of PPP projects across key Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.
From 2015 to 2019, Mr. Kolade held dual roles in the Presidency as Adviser to the then Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, and Special Assistant to the former President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, on Infrastructure and Technology. He provided direct counsel to the country’s top leadership on critical infrastructure strategy and policy, supporting the Economic Management Team and liaising with agencies such as the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC). His leadership extended to technical committees overseeing national initiatives, including rail network concessions and economic reform programs.
His international experience includes a secondment at Latham & Watkins LLP, New York, where he advised on project-financed mining operations and general financing transactions for global clients such as Chevron, Exxon Mobil, and Anglo-American.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Kolade practiced law at tier 1 law firms including, Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie and G. Elias & Co, where he advised on complex project finance transactions in the petrochemical and power sectors, and negotiated multi-jurisdictional commercial agreements and security instruments.
Kolade Sofola’s trajectory is a testament to the power of legal expertise paired with visionary leadership. Whether shaping landmark legislation, steering high-stakes negotiations, or advising on complex commercial transactions, he brings a rare blend of depth, precision, and pragmatism.